Cucumber And Garlic Salad Recipes

GARLIC CUCUMBER SALAD

Steps:

• Lay cucumber on a cutting board and place the flat side of a large knife on top. Proceed to hammer on the knife, smashing the cucumber. Continue this along the whole cucumber. This process allows for better flavour absorption.
• Chop cucumber coarsely into half-inch pieces and place in a coupe-shaped bowl (so sauce will cover all pieces and not just the bottom ones) .
• Add pressed garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, chicken broth, sesame oil and sugar and stir until mixed. Let stand 5 minutes. Voila! A masterpiece!

CUCUMBER AND GARLIC SALAD

Steps:

• You can either peel the cucumber or not (I don't) slice them thin and set in a bowl and salt them. Cover with plastic wrap and place in your fridge. This can be done upto 1 hour prior to serving or early in the morning and left until dinner time. The cucumbers will release water due to the salt and make them soft. The amount of cucumbers also depends on the number of people to be served so eyeball it.
• While your cucumbers are in the fridge, peel and mince your garlic and set aside until you are ready to serve your salad.
• Now to put salad together:.
• Squeeze some of the excess water from your cucumber (you don't need to save the water). Place the squeezed cucumber in another bowl along with the minced garlic. To this add some vinegar. Mix and taste, if it is too vinegary add abit water. Serve! Simple but great.
• This recipe is a very rustic salad and great if you're on a budget. Just remember to not salt the cucumber in the beginning too much because it's easier to add salt in the last stage. Keep tasting and adjusting until you feel the taste is perfect for you.

CHINESE SMASHED CUCUMBERS WITH SESAME OIL AND GARLIC

Steps:

• Rinse cucumbers and pat dry. Cut crosswise into pieces about 4 inches long. Cut each piece in half lengthwise.
• On a work surface, place a piece of cucumber (or several) cut side down. Lay the blade of a large knife flat on top the cucumber and smash down lightly with your other hand. The skin will begin to crack, the flesh will break down and the seeds will separate. Repeat until the whole piece is smashed. Break or slice diagonally into bite-size pieces, leaving the seeds behind.
• Place the cucumber pieces in a strainer and toss with a big pinch of salt and a big pinch of sugar. Place a plastic bag filled with ice on top of the cucumbers to serve as a weight and place the strainer over a bowl. Let drain 15 to 30 minutes on the counter, or in the refrigerator until ready to serve, up to 4 hours.
• Make the dressing: In a small bowl, combine salt, sugar and rice vinegar. Stir until salt and sugar are dissolved. Stir in sesame oil and soy sauce.
• When ready to serve, shake cucumbers well to drain off any remaining liquid and transfer to a serving bowl. Drizzle with grapeseed or olive oil and toss. Add half the dressing, half the garlic and the red pepper flakes to taste, and toss. Keep adding dressing until cucumbers are well coated but not drowned. Taste and add more pepper flakes and garlic if needed. Serve immediately, garnished with cilantro and sesame seeds.